Dominic Calvert-Lewin of Everton
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has opened up on the moment he hit "rock bottom" (Image: Getty Images)
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has opened up about his struggles with injury and the immense pressure he felt to aid Everton during the club's turbulent times. The forward revealed a poignant moment from the 2021/22 season when, on his birthday, he found himself in tears on his bedroom floor, yearning to contribute to the team's efforts but hindered by injury.
His recovery led to a triumphant return as he scored the decisive goal that ensured Everton's Premier League survival weeks later. His diving header clinched a dramatic comeback victory over Crystal Palace in the penultimate match of the season. The campaign had started promisingly for Calvert-Lewin, with goals in the first three league matches and a call-up to the England squad. However, this success came at a price as he soldiered on despite a broken toe.
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Reflecting on this challenging period during a recent appearance on the High Performance Podcast, he recalled having to withdraw from the England squad and subsequently dealing with a series of quadriceps issues, which arose as he tried to compensate for his initial injury.
There was light amid the darkness, however, as his emphatic diving header completed a miraculous turnaround against Palace. That sparked delirious celebrations among the Goodison Park faithful as they confirmed their status in the top flight.
"That feeling, I'll never be able to describe it," he said. "It was the weight of my own pressure, the football club. I am quite an emotional person so I put that responsibility on my shoulders. I thought, 'It's my responsibility to save everybody, save people's jobs.'
Dominic Calvert-Lewin scores vs Crystal Palace
Calvert-Lewin's strike against Crystal Palace in 2022 kept Everton in the Premier League (Image: Getty)
"So when I scored that goal it was a relief. The biggest relief ever. On my birthday, which would have been four, five weeks before I scored that goal, that was a low point for me. I can't remember why, I think it was built-up emotion, I ended up crying.
"I was on my own on my birthday, crying on my bedroom floor for whatever reason, feeling a little bit sorry for myself. I think it was not knowing how to express what I was feeling in that moment, that feeling things were getting away from me, feeling you have all the pressure of the football club on your shoulders and you just want to go out there and play.
"And at that moment I couldn't play because I had picked up another injury and it was overwhelming. But I remember thinking to myself, 'This is a rock bottom moment.' In my mind I was thinking, 'It doesn't get worse than this, you need to pick yourself up and go again.'"
Calvert-Lewin described how releasing his emotions became a turning point, adding: "So that was a catalyst for me because I felt better after I cried. I let out that emotion, all that pressure I had put on myself, and thought, 'I am going to save Everton Football Club.' I ended up scoring the winning goal."
He also recalled the aftermath of publicly sharing his struggle, noting an instance of further stress following a candid Instagram post. The Sheffield-born striker told podcast host Jake Humphrey he had intended to tell his followers talking had changed his life but instead wrote that talking had saved his life, in turn drawing intense media attention, reports the Liverpool Echo.
"Hindsight is a beautiful thing," added the 28-year-old. "What I actually did was almost put more pressure on me because I put myself in the spotlight for a non-footballing reason... we all have problems and that is what I was trying to portray."
The forward's future is currently up in the air, with his contract set to expire at the end of this month and no extension in sight. Calvert-Lewin managed to score just three goals in 26 appearances this season, failing to build on the career-high 21 goals he managed in the 2020/21 campaign.
A hamstring injury suffered in January meant he played just 31 minutes between February and the end of this term. But wherever Calvert-Lewin goes from here, he'll always have that moment he helped preserve Everton's evergreen stay among England's elite.
"I've never heard a stadium erupt like that in my life," he said. "I remember the ball coming in. I remember heading the ball. I remember feeling like I had lost sight of the ball. Looking back up. And it had just gone past the keeper. And it was like [tries to replicate the crowd noise], it was like a noise that was almost still.
"It was that loud it was silent, if that makes sense. Everything just faded out and I remember just wheeling off, running, I don't know what I was doing... it was the most euphoric thing I have ever felt playing football."